United States Suspends Talks With Russia

The United States has suspended its talks with Russia on Syria, BBC News reported.

The U.S. accused Russia, a key ally of the Syrian government, of having “failed to live up” to its commitments. The announcement comes one week after Washington warned Moscow it would suspend talks if Russia and Syria continued to bomb Aleppo.

A cease-fire brokered by the U.S. and Russia collapsed two weeks ago, and was followed by intense aerial bombardments of rebel-held parts of Aleppo, killing hundreds of people.

“Unfortunately, Russia failed to live up to its own commitments … and was also either unwilling or unable to ensure Syrian regime adherence to the arrangements to which Moscow agreed,” said John Kirby, U.S. state department spokesman. “Rather, Russia and the Syrian regime have chosen to pursue a military course.”

Kirby also said Russian and Syrian forces were responsible for the “targeting of critical infrastructure such as hospitals, and preventing humanitarian aid from reaching civilians in need, including through the 19 September attack on a humanitarian aid convoy.”

Russia has denied any involvement in the attack on the humanitarian aid convoy, and Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Moscow regrets this decision by the U.S.

“After failing to fulfil the agreements that they themselves worked out, they are trying to shift responsibility on to someone else,” Zakharova said.

ISIS Claims Suicide Attacks in Hama

At least two people were killed in the city of Hama on Monday by suicide bombers, AFP reported.

Two suicide attacks, claimed by the so-called Islamic State, detonated in the city center 15 minutes apart, according to Syrian state news agency SANA. At least a dozen other people were reportedly injured.

The blasts targeted government buildings in the city, according to the ISIS-affiliated Amaq news agency.

This is the first time ISIS has claimed an attack inside the city of Hama, though militants already control some territory in the northeastern parts of Hama province.

In northwestern Hama province, rebel groups and the extremist faction Jund al-Aqsa have been fighting government forces since August 29 in an attempt to connect rebel-held territories with Idlib province in northwest Syria, which is also held by rebels.

Russia Warned Over Syria Airstrikes, United Nations Says

Russia was warned against using incendiary weapons in Syria on Tuesday by United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, Reuters reported.

The conditions in Aleppo require new initiatives, said Zeid, “including proposals to limit the use of the veto by the permanent members of the Security Council.”

Russia, a key ally of the Syrian government, is a veto-holding member of the U.N. Security Council, and has repeatedly blocked the U.N. from referring the Syrian conflict to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

“Such a referral would be more than justified given the rampant and deeply shocking impunity that has characterized the conflict and the magnitude of the crimes that have been committed, some of which may indeed amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity,” Zeid said, adding that the Syrian government and its allies have have attacked targets protected under international humanitarian law such as medical facilities, humanitarian workers and water-pumping stations.

Recommended Reads:

• The Atlantic: The Black Market Kings of Damascus
• Carnegie: Judy Asks: Can Russia End the War in Syria?
• The Wall Street Journal: Al Qaida Leader Targeted in U.S. Airstrike on Syria
• ABC News: Madaya Mom: The Story of One Mother’s Unimaginable Struggle for Survival
• Al Jazeera: Why Syria’s Bashar al-Assad Is Still in Power